Draft appliance for railway cars



Nov. 6, 1928. 1,690,650 w. J. REGAN ET AL DRAFT APPLIANCE FOR RAILWAY CARS Filed June l, 1926 L7 anoemtou Patented Nov. 6, 1928.

t w r1221) S A res PATENT O FLPI-CEl.

WILLIAM J. REGAN AND ENOCH GEORGE, JR., OF'PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA, AS SIG-NORS 'TO THE MCCONWAY '& TORLEY 'COIEBANY, OF PITTSBURGH, PENNSYL- VANIA, A CORPORATION OF PENNSYLVANIA.

naArr APPLIANCE For. RAILWAY cans.

Application filed June 1,

This invention relates to draft appliances for railway cars and has for its objectto provide a simple construction inwhicha draft yoke device is reliably and efficiently connected to a car coupler designed to swing laterally through a comparatively wide angle whenthe car *to which it is attached passes around curves. A further objectof theinvention is to produce compact and efiicient means forpivotally connectingthezhead of a carcouplerto a shankmember. adapted to be operatively attached. to a yoke device through the instrumentality of a draft key.

A primary feature of the invention consists in operatively connecting a car coupler to a yoke device means adapted to transmit draft forces tothe latter, and in providing the coupler with a headportion and a shankpoi-- tion which are pivotaily connected in advance of the means for attaching the coupler tothe yoke, the means for pivotally connecting the head and shankbeing disposedwholly above the under face of the=sa1d shank.

A further and more specific feature of theinvention consists in providing. a coupler head member at its 'rearend and'a coupler shank member at its forward end with over lapping pivot lugs, one of-said lugs in each of themembers being :formed with a slot to receive akey, and in providing a connecting pivot pin fashioned with a key portion intermediate its ends, the said key portion being adapted to be receivedbythe slots and the latter being outof vertical alinement in all normal relative positionsof the'coupler head and shank.

In the drawings illustrating the invention, the scope whereof is pointed out in the claims V i p Figure'l is a :plan view. of a railway draft appliance embodying the invention, portions of the arms or straps of the yoke device being omitted.

Figure 2 is a detail view, partly in elevation and partly in vertical section, of the pre-. ferred means for pivotally connecting the coupler head and shank members.

Figure 3 is a section on the line 83, Fig. 1.

Figure 4 is a plan View of a portion of the mechanism showing a modified form of pivotal connection between the coupler head and shank members.

Figure 5 is a view, partly in elevation and 1926. Serial No. 112,862.

partly in vertical section, of the form of pivot connectionillustrated'in Fig. 4.

In the drawings 1 is the head portion and Qvthe shankportion of a car coupler the latterpreferably being operatively connected to a draft yoke 3 by means of a standard draft key 4r passingthrough the shankormember and through the customarykeyslots 5 in said yoke.

The coupler head 1' is pivotallyconnected to the shank member 2 in advance ofi'the key l by which draft forces are transmitted'tothe yoke device, such pivotal connection preferably being effected by means of a vertically extending pivot pin6 which passes through correspondingly perforated overlapping pivot lugs with which the adjacent endsof the head and :shank are respectively provided The pivot lugs of the coupler headiniember preferably comprise anupper lug 7, a lower lug S andlan intermediate lug 9', whilethe shank member 2 may advantageously befashioned atits forward end with a pair of spaced lugs .10 between which the intermediate member 9 of the coupler intervenes. The head member 1 isformed with curvedbearing. surfaces 11 for cooperating with" the correspondingly curved end faces or bearingsurfaces 12 ofthepivot lugs 10 with which the shank 2 is provided. Similarly the shank 2 is provided toward its forward end with concavelycurved bearing surfaces 13 for c0operat-.

ing with the correspondingly curved end faces 14 Of'silhG pivot lugs 7 ,8 and 9. By this means ample bearing area is provided in all positions ofthe coupler head for transmit-ting bufiing shocks to the shank memher 2. 1 Between its; ends the pivot pint is-provided witha :rearwardly extending key 15, while the upper pivot lug? of the coupler head member and the adjacent pivot lug member 10 of the shank are provided with corresponding key ways or slots 16 and 17 respectively. The slots 16 and 17 are so positioned thatthey are out of alincment with each other in all relative positions which the coupler head 1 and shank 2 can assume in service. Before the coupler is mounted upon the car the pivot lugs or straps of the head member 1 are inserted between the pivot lugs at the forward end of the shank member 2 and the head is swung toward the knuckle side of the coupler until the key way or slot 16 is directly over the key slot 17 of the shank member. The pivot pin 6 may then be inserted in the openings of the several pivot lugs, the key extension or lug 15 on the pin passing through the slot 16 in the upper pivot lug of the head anc. entering the slot or recess .17 in the adjacent pivot lug 1O beneath. The

coupler head may then be m'oved into longitudinal alinement with the shank member 2,

thereby locking the connecting pin 6 in place As the side clearance afforded in the coupler carrier (not shown) will not permit thehead 1 to swing around far enough to bring the ke slots 16 and 17 into vertical alinement when the coupler is in place, itwi'll be pen.

ceived'that the pivot pin. is thus securely maintained in proper assembled position J when the device is in service. A pivotal connectlon of this character permits the pivot pin to be positioned wholly within the lines of the coupler, thus leaving no portion of it projecting below the under face of the stem or shank member 2. This is advantageous in that itenables the pinto belocated in any desired position forwardof the yoke without fear of interference with other partsof the car equipment.

7 Figs. 1 and 5 show a modified form of construction for=-pivotally connecting the coupler head to the shank member, the pivotal I connection being constituted by trunnions 18-cast as an integral partof the coupler head 19. In this type of flexible connection the shank member 20 of the coupler is provided at'its forward end with spaced pivot lugsi ll h v ng cylindrical opemngs 22.

After the shank-has been cast and dressed it is set in a prepared mold andthe coupler head is cast in assembled relation'thereto. The trunnions 18 project vertically in opposite dir ctions from a centrally disposed lug 23 ,whichintervenes between the pivot lugs 21 of the shank member. The portion Drum lug '23 which extends rearwardly of the trunnions is formed'with a curved bearing face'24 which cooperates with a correspondingly curved hearing face 25 disposed between the pivot lugs of the shank; and theforward ends of the )ivot lu 's of the shank are fashioned l o i with curved bearing faces 26 whichcooperate withcorrespondingly curved surfaces 270m the yoke device, said coupler involving a conpler head, a coupler shank, and a pivot pin for pivotally connecting the head and shank forwardly of said means for transmitting draft forces from the coupler to the yokedevice, said pivot pin being disposed wholly above the under face of said shank and having interlocking engagementwith said cou-' pler preventing its removal in all normal relative positions of the coupler head and shank.

, 21A railway draft appliance comprising a coupler head provided at its rear end with aplurality of vertically spaced pivot lugs, a shank formed at its forward end .with a plurality of pivot lugs, andja pivot pin extende ing through said lugs for connecting said head and shank, said pin being provided between its ends with a key portion, one of said lugs on the head being provided with acslot to receive said key,'and one of the pivot lugs of the shank being provided with a slot to receive said key, said slots being out of vertical alinement in all normal'relative positions of the coupler head and shank.

: 3. A railway draft appliance comprising a couplerhead provided at i s rear end with a plurality of pivot lugs one ofwhich is formed with a keyslot, a coupler shank provided at its forward end with a plurality of pivotlugs one of which is formed with a key slot, said slots being out of vertical alinement when said head and shank are inno-rmal positions,

and a pin cooperating with saidpivot lugs. forpivotally connecting the head and shank,

said pin being provided with a key adapted to be received by said slots, and said key being adapted to extend between and engage a pluralityof said pivot lugs to thereby maintain the pin in assembled'relation. I

In testimony whereof we afiix' our signatures. a

ENOCH GEORGE, R.

WILLIAM J. EGAN." 

